The current experiment aims to investigate the relationship between the early “phasic” portion of salt transduction and salt appetite. Prior research has identified two salt transduction pathways: a sodium-selective pathway, which is inhibited by amiloride or benzamil, and a non-selective pathway, which is not inhibited by amiloride or benzamil (Breslin, 2008.) When presented with sodium solutions, sodium-depleted mice exhibit a behavior termed the “sodium appetite,” which results in voracious sodium consumption. The prevailing theory is that this behavior depends on neural activity of sodium-selective neurons (Roitman and Bernstein, 1999; Breza and Contreras, 2012.) While the application of amiloride has been previously shown to inhibit sodium appetite, our attempts with benzamil failed to decrease sodium chloride consumption in sodium-depleted mice. Our preliminary recordings from the chorda tympani nerve and isolated neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) revealed that amiloride blocks both the early “phasic” and later “tonic” portions of the taste response, while benzamil selectively blocked the tonic portion, suggesting that the phasic response in N neurons is necessary for driving sodium appetite. The goal of this proposal is to record gustatory neurons in the NTS of C57BL6J (wild type) mice in response to sodium and ammonium chloride solutions with varying concentrations of amiloride or benzamil. We hypothesize that amiloride will attenuate the phasic response and tonic responses in N neurons, whereas benzamil will only attenuate tonic responses. These findings will support or refute the theory that the phasic portion of the sodium response is necessary for driving sodium appetite.

Social behavior is primarily governed by social recognition and cognition processes. Social recognition, or social memory, is the ability to identify and recall social encounters involving the neural network's interaction and cooperation of multiple brain regions. While many brain regions are involved in social behavior, the cerebellum is increasingly recognized as a central hub in the social brain network. Cerebellar dysfunctions are consistently linked to neuropsychiatric disorders with social deficits, such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. The cerebellum consists of distinct functional subdivisions that connect with various brain areas to support both motor and non-motor functions. Yet, the specific contributions of cerebellar subregions to social recognition memory are poorly understood. To address this, the spatial dynamics of the cerebellum in a mouse model were mapped during a social recognition task using c-Fos, an immediate early gene, as a neuronal activity marker. Increased c-Fos expression in the posterior cerebellum was found. Graph theoretical analysis is anticipated to further identify Crus I/II as a critical social recognition memory hub in the neural network. Overall, these results advance the understanding of the cerebellum’s role in social behavior and underline precise targets for treating psychiatric disorders.

Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), this exploratory case study investigates neural responses to erotic stimuli across the menstrual cycle. The study aims to observe how fluctuations throughout different menstrual phases elicit varying responses in brain regions associated with pleasure and reward processing, including the dorsal striatum, ventral striatum, and orbitofrontal cortex, when viewing erotic images. Over a 28-day period— a complete reproductive cycle— an adult female underwent daily fMRI scans while passively viewing erotic images. This design allows for the detection of dynamic variations in neural activation patterns across the phases of the menstrual cycle. The study's approach of dense-sampling multimodal brain imaging over a full cycle allows for a nuanced exploration of how menstrual cycle-related changes affect neural responses to sexual stimuli. Insights from this research could deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying sexual arousal and reward processing, emphasizing the importance of considering menstrual cycle phases within these mechanisms. Recognizing the impact of menstrual cycle variations is essential for a comprehensive understanding of brain dynamics. This case study underscores the need for further research into the interplay between physiological changes and neural responses, contributing to a better understanding of both women’s brain health and female sexuality.

When faced with a perceived threat, rodents, among other animals, can exhibit behaviors such as flight, urination, or freezing, which signals distress and enact defense behaviors for group survival. Research in mice has modeled fear-related behavior through different mechanisms such as social buffering, which is thought as a mechanism that can mitigate the perception and reaction to adverse experiences through the presence of a conspecific. However, there is a lack of research studying traumatic experiences in a social context, and how the social context of trauma affects future behavior. To investigate this, we will measure the difference in fear-related behavior, such as freezing, before and after experiencing stress administered through 15 uncued, unconditioned footshocks. Mice will be randomly paired within cages to experience footshock for the social aspect of the shared trauma. This investigation will take place over three days, with each day being respectively, a baseline day of fear-related behaviors, adverse footshock stimulus, and a post-measurement of fear-related behaviors. Future work will investigate the role of brain regions, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, in mediating social affiliation after shared trauma.